Erotic scenes vs erotic themes?

[Amoronaut]

I'm curious, do you prefer a story to have an explicit erotic theme, or do you enjoy a non-erotically themed story supplemented by sexual scenes between main characters? Or does it depend?

Example of the former: A father and daughter are exiled from their home city, and as they travel from place to place, the father is forced to whore out his daughter in order to feed and shelter them both.

Example of the latter: A story about a male and female soldier in the army, where the primary focus is what goes on in the military, but whenever the couple gets the chance they have a steamy sex scene. Or the main character has flashbacks of sexual escapades he used to have in college back home, but the primary focus of the story is on the war, politics, etc.

I recently began a sci-fi erotica story called "Centauri", and have posted 3 chapters now on lit. The story is a mixture of romance between the main characters, and mystery surrounding an alien race and a government agency, but I always include an erotic scene between the main characters in each chapter.

Not that it will change how I write, but I'm just wondering if in the future people might enjoy my stories more if I try to incorporate more "sex" into the plot itself.

Thoughts?

 

[slyc_willie]

Sex is sex.

There are a number of schools of thought when it comes to writing erotica. There are those who say sex must be a central theme, in one way or another, and those who say that sex is just an addition to the story. Personally, I fall somewhere in between much of the time.

I have stories that are all about the sex. *knock, knock* "Who's there?" "Blow." "Blow who?" "Blow you." These are basically stroke stories. They are designed to appeal to the sexual fantasy of the audience and nothing more. There may be some character development, but that is only to add to the titillation factor of the story.

On the other hand, I have stories that go on and on before there is any sex. There's more thought placed into these, and more emphasis on who the characters are. Often, I find that the more build-up there is before a sex scene, the better that scene is received. But that's just me.

How you write sex into a story -- or how much importance you place on the sexual aspect of a story -- is effected by numerous things. Some categories lend themselves to less character and more action. Incest, Loving Wives, Non-Con, for instance. That's not to say that there can't be any build-up or character development, but many readers of such categories aren't as interested in the story as they are in the sex.

When it comes to Romance, Sci-Fi, and Non-Human stories, I've found that quite a few readers want to know more about the characters and see the sexual aspects as secondary. Of course, there are exceptions.

Tastes and variations abound. I don't generally read too much in the way of erotica, but when I do, I appreciate when an author takes the time to craft a believable story, at least in the context of the genre in which it's written.

 

[JackLuis]

You have to be imaginative to do more that 30-35 chapters of sex or it gets repetitive.

 

[Bramblethorn]

I'm curious, do you prefer a story to have an explicit erotic theme, or do you enjoy a non-erotically themed story supplemented by sexual scenes between main characters? Or does it depend?

Somewhere in between. I want the sex to be relevant to the storyline, but I don't want a solely sexual storyline.

 

[lovecraft68]

Somewhere in between. I want the sex to be relevant to the storyline, but I don't want a solely sexual storyline.

I feel the same way.

I think whatever "kink" the category is in example Incest, group etc.... that situation has to be prevalent, but I want the story to be there to lead to the sex, rather than it be sex and no story.

 

[JAMESBJOHNSON]

My thing is hormones in search of a fuck. That's the plot. X & Y are horny, X & Y are attracted to each other, they do the math, and find a place.

 

[Amoronaut]

Sex is sex.

When it comes to Romance, Sci-Fi, and Non-Human stories, I've found that quite a few readers want to know more about the characters and see the sexual aspects as secondary. Of course, there are exceptions.

Tastes and variations abound. I don't generally read too much in the way of erotica, but when I do, I appreciate when an author takes the time to craft a believable story, at least in the context of the genre in which it's written.

Aha, true! A sci-fi story without a good plot would get cheesy in a hurry, I imagine.

Maybe the real issue I am dealing with is how to keep readers entertained in a longer story. After 3 chapters, and working on a 4th, I've eclipsed 20,000 words...and since sex isn't the central theme, I'm trying to come up with fresh and exciting ways to introduce sex into the story.

However, I am not really interested in writing anything particularly depraved. I enjoy passionate, straight sex, and so far I've only written one-on-one MF sex scenes, although in the chapter I'm writing currently, the scene is a man and his slutty computer hologram that he created.

I think my plot is creative enough...but I think i need to work on more imaginative erotic scenes to get the reader's juices flowing....

 

[PennLady]

Aha, true! A sci-fi story without a good plot would get cheesy in a hurry, I imagine.

Maybe the real issue I am dealing with is how to keep readers entertained in a longer story. After 3 chapters, and working on a 4th, I've eclipsed 20,000 words...and since sex isn't the central theme, I'm trying to come up with fresh and exciting ways to introduce sex into the story.

However, I am not really interested in writing anything particularly depraved. I enjoy passionate, straight sex, and so far I've only written one-on-one MF sex scenes, although in the chapter I'm writing currently, the scene is a man and his slutty computer hologram that he created.

I think my plot is creative enough...but I think i need to work on more imaginative erotic scenes to get the reader's juices flowing....

I think if the plot naturally leads to the characters having sex, then it's easier. If you have two people who are attracted to each other, then hopefully situations will arise where they want to have sex -- or need to, depending on your plot. That might even dictate how they have it, where they have it, and what they do.

 

[JonB1969]

I'm curious, do you prefer a story to have an explicit erotic theme, or do you enjoy a non-erotically themed story supplemented by sexual scenes between main characters? Or does it depend?

Example of the former: A father and daughter are exiled from their home city, and as they travel from place to place, the father is forced to whore out his daughter in order to feed and shelter them both.

Example of the latter: A story about a male and female soldier in the army, where the primary focus is what goes on in the military, but whenever the couple gets the chance they have a steamy sex scene. Or the main character has flashbacks of sexual escapades he used to have in college back home, but the primary focus of the story is on the war, politics, etc.

I recently began a sci-fi erotica story called "Centauri", and have posted 3 chapters now on lit. The story is a mixture of romance between the main characters, and mystery surrounding an alien race and a government agency, but I always include an erotic scene between the main characters in each chapter.

Not that it will change how I write, but I'm just wondering if in the future people might enjoy my stories more if I try to incorporate more "sex" into the plot itself.

Thoughts?

That is a very good question, especially for an erotic story website.

It has been my experience that I prefer stories that are not sexually focused, but that have sex scenes in them. That is the way I write my own stories that I have posted on Lit.

It kind of depends too on genre. I post mostly interracial stories, and readers seem to like the romance as well as the sex. That's my just my preference, I like to have balance in my stories.

 

[soflabbwlvr]

I don't care for stories where the sex scenes are gratuitous. The story should build to the sex as a natural--but not inevitable--result of the other action taking place in the story. The sex should be the either the means to or the result of resolving the central conflict that underlies the story. If it is just thrown into an otherwise PG rated story as an afterthought, then it really isn't contributing anything.

Which is not to say that the story should only be about sex. Sex bereft of a plot or characterization is merely a stroker, which is OK for some but not what I prefer to read.

 

[Bramblethorn]

My thing is hormones in search of a fuck. That's the plot. X & Y are horny, X & Y are attracted to each other, they do the math, and find a place.

Plenty of good stories written on that basis, but the ones that work well for me almost always have some context to the sex. "Widow on a cruise ship gets attracted to a retired bachelor, they sneak off and fuck" is a whole different story to "White woman in '50s Alabama gets attracted to black guy, they sneak off and fuck". That background makes the hookup memorable.

 

[Amoronaut]

I don't care for stories where the sex scenes are gratuitous. The story should build to the sex as a natural--but not inevitable--result of the other action taking place in the story. The sex should be the either the means to or the result of resolving the central conflict that underlies the story. If it is just thrown into an otherwise PG rated story as an afterthought, then it really isn't contributing anything.

Which is not to say that the story should only be about sex. Sex bereft of a plot or characterization is merely a stroker, which is OK for some but not what I prefer to read.

I'm not exactly sure what you mean by "gratuitous". I'm not sure why anyone would ever include a sex scene that was not in the context of the story - that would just make it seem unnatural.

I don't think sex has to be the resolution of the conflict or even a part of the conflict.

For example, in Ch 2 of my story Centauri the conflict is about the main character regaining his memories and coming to terms with his past. In the midst of a flash back, him and his lover are chased by enemy troops and cornered, and since they think they are going to die they decide to fuck before the end. The scene fits with the context, but it doesn't resolve any conflict. It could be removed from the story without affecting the plot.

Like someone else mentioned...if two characters in the story are attracted to each other, then there will be situations that result in them having sex. But it may or may not have any relevance to the actual plot.

 

[MaxSebastian]

It sounds to me that you're talking about the difference between writing erotica and writing erotic genre fiction.

Erotica is where the sex itself drives on the story, where the story is about the sex, where there would be no story without the sex. A story about someone's first sexual experience, for example.

Erotic genre fiction on the other hand - erotic romance, erotic science fiction, erotic mystery, erotic thriller, etc. - is where the story works without the sex, where it can all stop at the bedroom door and then pick up again with the post-coital cigarette.

I like all kinds, but can get bored if it's sex that doesn't do something for the story in some way.

 

[JAMESBJOHNSON]

Plenty of good stories written on that basis, but the ones that work well for me almost always have some context to the sex. "Widow on a cruise ship gets attracted to a retired bachelor, they sneak off and fuck" is a whole different story to "White woman in '50s Alabama gets attracted to black guy, they sneak off and fuck". That background makes the hookup memorable.

I studied humans since 1963 or so, and when it dawned on me that our entire fund of speculation about human self actualization is corrupted and plain wrong, I created my own theory for how it works, and so far my scheme seems to be right. And that's what I go with when I write tales. People are a bundle of appetites and itches. Who they'll fuck depends on when the last fuck was. Its very cynical.

 

[Tyro999]

I'm curious, do you prefer a story to have an explicit erotic theme, or do you enjoy a non-erotically themed story supplemented by sexual scenes between main characters? Or does it depend?

Cue the hoary Almond Joy/Mounds commercial jingle from ages ago: Sometimes you feel like a nut, sometimes you don't.

 

[chocolatecookie3]

I like the distinction between erotica and erotic fiction. I myself really only write erotica at this point--the whole story is focused on sex--but I like reading a story where the characters end up having sex.

 

[sr71plt]

I like the distinction between erotica and erotic fiction. I myself really only write erotica at this point--the whole story is focused on sex--but I like reading a story where the characters end up having sex.

Not quite sure what you mean by a distinction between erotica and erotic fiction. The flip side of fiction is nonfiction. So, unless the erotica is also a "true tale," it's fiction.

 

[lovecraft68]

Not quite sure what you mean by a distinction between erotica and erotic fiction. The flip side of fiction is nonfiction. So, unless the erotica is also a "true tale," it's fiction.

I took that to mean "sex driven" vs something with more of a story around the sex.

 

[sr71plt]

I took that to mean "sex driven" vs something with more of a story around the sex.

Perhaps then Chocolate's "erotic fiction" is what I call "literary porn."

 

[chocolatecookie3]

I was referring to this guy's definition:

It sounds to me that you're talking about the difference between writing erotica and writing erotic genre fiction.

Erotica is where the sex itself drives on the story, where the story is about the sex, where there would be no story without the sex. A story about someone's first sexual experience, for example.

Erotic genre fiction on the other hand - erotic romance, erotic science fiction, erotic mystery, erotic thriller, etc. - is where the story works without the sex, where it can all stop at the bedroom door and then pick up again with the post-coital cigarette.

 

[sr71plt]

I was referring to this guy's definition:

I think his definition is confused. Fiction is fiction. You don't have erotica on one hand (unless it claims to be a true story) and anything fiction on the other hand. They are both fiction. And, apparently, they both use the "erotic" word, so they are the same thing.

 

[Ironiclaconic]

I see the distinction he is making, but I don't think it identifies different genres. I do see a distinction between sex scenes that are integral to the story and sex scenes which are not. I can point to plenty of erotic genre fiction examples where the sex is integral to the story. Shychiwriter is a good example of this on Lit in the genre of science fiction, but he is not remotely alone.

 

[Ironiclaconic]

A bit more on this, since I think it is interesting.

I am a narrative traditionalist. I dislike non-narrative fiction, I think all stories should be centered around a conflict that is introduced very early in the story, resolved at the end of the story, and every individual scene moves the conflict forward. I prefer my stories this way regardless of whether they are horror, fantasy, science fiction, or erotica, and this is how I try to write all my stories.

This is a pretty common set of story preferences, and you will see this structure outlined (more or less) in writing guides dating all the way back to Aristotle. I think this is the distinction the OP is trying to describe, and there are a lot of stories on Lit that do not follow this structure. It is extremely common, for instance, for a story on Lit to present some sort of romantic conflict, resolve the conflict, and *then* show the sex scene, by which point the scene is (in my view) gratuitous.

I am *not* trying to argue that all stories should be written the way I want, or that anyone who doesn't follow this structure is wrong. I am saying that if this structure isn't followed, I personally will think the story could have been improved by tightening up the conflict and deleting extraneous scenes, and other readers will likely feel the same way. Others won't (and that's... OK!), but to those of us who like tight story structures, the distinction between integral and "tacked on" sex scenes is an important one.

 

[sr71plt]

More recent (than Aristotle) and more complex popular story structure is to put a twist on after the resolution that either offers a different resolution or tweaks the natural one in some (hopefully) surprise or satisfying or disturbing way.

 

[lovecraft68]

Perhaps then Chocolate's "erotic fiction" is what I call "literary porn."

Probably. Personally my "names" is if it has a pretty decent story around the sex I go with erotica, if its a wham bam all about sex piece its a stroker.